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HAT SPECIES OF urban has Wbeen studied more than any other? If you guessed the , you are right (Figure 50). Thanks to work in Europe and Great Britain, there is a body of research publi- cations, ranging from Figure 50 Red fox population and behavioral studies to reviews of injury and disease, devoted exclusively to urban foxes. The research expands on what anyone who has observed or read about foxes already knows: these are fascinating animals who combine many of the behavioral and eco- logical traits of with their obvious mem- o The red fox is the most widely bership in the dog family—enough so that the distributed wild canid in the world. red fox is often called the “-like canine.” o Foxes occasionally make dens under To many people, the fox is the animal decks, patios, or outbuildings. they least expect to see in the city. In fact, foxes are well adapted to urban life, being o They visit gardens and yards, (like most other successful urban mammals) sometimes to hunt, sometimes generalists who use a wide range of habitats, to get from one place to another, exploit a wide range of natural and human- sometimes just because they produced foods, and alter their activity sched- are there. ules, if necessary, to be primarily active when humans are not. The reward for this is a longer life than their rural counterparts and a death that is more likely to come from dis- ease or accident than by predation, hunting, or trapping. 131 WN_BookEdition2_2007_fin 1/31/08 11:17 AM Page 132

Classification and Range Foxes are not large animals, although their relatively long legs and bodies elongated There are three genera and six species of by bushy tails make them appear to be. The foxes in North America, but only three—the red fox is the bigger species, weighing seven red (Vulpes vulpes), gray (Urocyon cinereoargen- to fifteen pounds, with a body of about two tus), and kit (Vulpes macrotis) fox—are or feet in length attached to a twelve- to eight- city dwellers. The last is of quite some inter- een-inch tail. Grays tend to be smaller than est: it is an endangered subspecies in Califor- reds, but there is considerable overlap in size nia found in (Bakersfield, for example) between them (Figure 51). Kit foxes are and a rare case in which urbanization may be markedly smaller than either gray or red helping an endangered species survive. (Coy- foxes. Because color varies greatly among otes are the primary cause of mortality in this foxes, a red-colored fox is not necessarily a smaller canid, and the urban setting may in- “red fox” or a gray-colored fox a “gray.” When hibit these predators’ presence.) you can get close enough to see it, a white tip While red foxes are native to North at the end of the tail indicates a red fox. America, at least some of the populations in the United States are descended from ani- mals imported by European colonists, seek- Habits ing to transfer the pastime of fox hunting Both red and gray foxes prefer diverse habi- with hounds from the Old World to the New. tats that have fields, woods, shrubby cover, Other red foxes may have come to North farmland, or other variety. Gray foxes are America by the same Ice Age land bridge that more dependent, apparently, on woodlands the first humans used, complicating the pic- than are red, and they sometimes even climb ture of which populations are truly “native.” trees when the mood strikes or need demands. The species origins wouldn’t matter to any- Both species readily use urban and suburban one but specialists if the distinction between parklands, golf courses, and developed areas foxes as native or alien were not used as an when they can find enough privacy. excuse to persecute them in some places. Foxes are primarily nocturnal in urban areas, but this seems an accommodation to avoiding humans rather than a preference. If you do see a fox out and about by day, it does- n’t necessarily mean the fox is ill. Foxes are active by day as long as they feel secure, and if they are pursuing prey that is active by day, such as . Foxes, like many other wildlife species that successfully exploit urban environments, are dietary generalists who can survive on a wide variety of and animal matter. Al- though far more frequent and capable hunters than are many other urban wildlife species, such as , when certain fruits are abundant, foxes will not hesitate to go vegetarian. One reason they are described as cat-like is that foxes hunt more by stealth than by the pursuit tactics typical of canids. A hunt- ing red fox is all ears, literally, as he seeks the faint rustling sounds made by his prey, stalk- ing closely and launching a long, graceful, Figure 51

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leaping pounce at the moment he feels he has dled. Even then, it takes a lot of handling for locked onto his target. a fox even to defend himself by biting, and Kits, as the young are called, are born in the natural tendency is for the animal to flee the spring, usually in March or April. Litters rather than fight. Red foxes occasionally prey may be as large as eight, but average four or on small house cats or kittens and certainly five kits (Figure 52). Once they are about six will take small animals such as rabbits, guinea weeks of age, fox kits can survive the loss of pigs, and poultry when they are left outside their mother, since their father and even unprotected. Both red and gray foxes will eat other group members (last year’s kits grown cultivated grapes, raspberries, and other up, but still with the family) will keep feeding fruit, but they usually do not bother garden them. (Alloparenting is the term for the care vegetables. In all, foxes do such little damage given by such nonbreeding male or female and cause so few conflicts with people that we foxes.) The kits are weaned by nine weeks and hesitate to characterize them as a problem at begin to hunt with their parents. They may all. Nonetheless, thousands are killed every stay on after that or, under some circum- year because they are perceived as threats. stance, leave (or disperse, as it termed) in late summer or early fall to establish their own territories. Both red and gray foxes may dig their own dens, or they may occupy the aban- doned dens of woodchuck, badger, or other burrowing animals. Dens are used mostly as an escape from severe winter weather or for raising kits. Even when winter weather is un- comfortable to humans, foxes often rest un- N O

der brush piles or fallen logs and may be cov- S I R R

ered by snow as they wrap their bushy tails A H N

around their bodies. H O J Figure 52 For many people seeing a wild animal Public Health Concerns like a fox is a real thrill. With a little patience and care, you can experience that and more in the Foxes are the primary carrier of one of the spring when kits are old enough to come out of the major strains of rabies that infects foxes as den and begin to explore the world around them. well as other animal species. In some parts of the country, foxes carry the echinococco- sis tapeworm, which can cause a serious and Solutions sometimes fatal disease in humans. Sarcop- tic manage is a very serious problem in some Tolerance fox populations, but it is not a health con- Sometimes foxes are blamed for damage they cern for humans. did not cause. The trash can that was knocked over by the neighborhood dogs may attract a Problems fox who is observed and then blamed. Foxes may cut through yards when moving from People may be surprised and sometimes one hunting area to another, and the home- frightened to discover that foxes live in their owner becomes unreasonably concerned neighborhoods, but these fears are almost about their presence. In fact, the fox is not a completely groundless. Foxes are not danger- bother at all. If left alone, he will probably do ous to humans, except when they are rabid the homeowner a service by performing a lit- (which is very rare) or are captured and han- tle free rodent control as he passes by.

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Exclusion Poultry should be protected with secure The Bold Fox hutches or pens built to withstand any effort by foxes, raccoons, or dogs to break in. Be- Sometimes red foxes will exhibit cause predators can dig under fences, it is a brazenness that is so overt it is important to make sure that an L-shaped disconcerting. A hiker along a woodland footer is buried around the outer perimeter. trail may encounter a fox who does Electric fences can also exclude foxes but not retreat but rather sits and watches work best in conjunction with other perma- the human approach. Likewise, a nent perimeter fencing, as when a single- homeowner hanging laundry may strand electrified fence is placed about four watch a fox walk through the yard, inches off the ground in front of a chain link going about her business, seemingly or other fence. For their health and safety, The HSUS recommends that pets such as oblivious to the human nearby. Why rabbits and guinea pigs not be kept outdoors, this occurs is any human’s guess, especially at night. If outside by day, they and the foxes aren’t telling. should be housed in structures that are secure from both bird and mammal predators. they are not wanted. They retreat at any Repellents sound or sight that is the least bit threatening. No repellents are registered expressly for use on foxes, although the many products sold to Harassment repel domestic dogs from yards and gardens Fox dens under porches and decks are one of undoubtedly will have a similar effect on a the most commonly reported issues with passing fox. these animals. As with all instances of any wild animal denning or nesting in an inconvenient Scare Devices spot, we recommend tolerating the family Because foxes are active mostly by night and until the young are old enough to follow the are very cautious about people when out and parents on nightly forays and the family about, suburbanites rarely see them. Noise- moves on. When they are gone, exclude them making devices, ranging from transistor ra- from reusing the den. Fox kits will spend time dios to motion-sensitive alarms, can be quite playing outside the den just before they are effective in combining repelling and harass- able to go out with their parents, making this ing strategies. A motion-activated sprinkler one of the most enjoyable wildlife viewing can be an effective deterrent in lawns or gar- experiences people can have. dens. Even using a loud voice or banging on Still, some people will want the family to a pot or pan can frighten these very sensitive move sooner rather than later. In these cases, animals and keep them out of an area where mild harassment may encourage a move.

Do Foxes Eat Cats?

People are frequently concerned about their pets being outdoors when foxes are around. The best way to avoid encounters between foxes and cats is to keep the cats indoors. By and large, however, foxes seem to pay little heed to adult cats, recognizing that they are dealing with an animal often almost their same size, with a well-deserved reputation for self-defense. Kittens, however, could be easy prey for a fox, as might small adult cats.

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Start by placing objects, leaves, soil, or mulch wildlife and of the need, as conservationists in the den openings to disturb the residents. have said repeatedly, to preserve the whole Used kitty litter or almost anything with a and not just the parts. strong human scent will also alarm the foxes. Try a pair of smelly sweat socks or old sneak- ers placed in or near the den opening. People Resources claim success in getting fox families to move Where they have been best studied, in the ® simply by mounting Mylar balloons two to , Stephen Harris’s Urban three feet off the ground, just outside the Foxes (Whittet Books, 1994) summarizes many entrance to the den. In all of these strategies, years of fascinating natural history. A more the idea is to make the parents uncomfortable personalized account is David MacDonald’s and get them to move the litter to a more Running with the Fox (Facts on File, 1987), secure location. After that has taken place, which describes a graduate career focused on make sure all the kits are out of the den be- these animals. fore permanently excluding them. The Fox Project in the United Kingdom has information on deterrence and other nat- Habitat Management ural history facts about foxes: Food lures foxes into suburban yards. Attrac- www.thefoxproject.org.uk. tants such as meat scraps should never be composted, and trash should be stored se- curely or placed outside only on the morning of collection. Don’t leave pet food outside and never deliberately feed wild animals such as foxes, advice with which our friends across the Atlantic would disagree. In Britain, foxes are not only welcomed when establishing dens under sheds in backyards but are also fed reg- ularly and systematically to make sure they feel accepted and appreciated. Here we dis- courage this practice, no matter how benign it may seem, because the fox that is used to getting handouts in one yard may be per- ceived as a threat in another, and treated accordingly, sometimes with lethal results.

A Last Word

For all the many studies that have been con- ducted on urban foxes, many more have been conducted in rural areas, and are few com- pared to the number devoted to animals such as , bears, and even quail. Game species (those that are hunted and trapped) have always received more emphasis in our society than have nongame animals. A slow change is occurring, as people have become increas- ingly aware of the importance of all species of

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